In Hungary detained the former head of the Central Bank of Orban
The detention took place against the background of an investigation into the loss of assets of the fund under the Hungarian Central Bank by hundreds of billions of forints. In September, Matolci was also questioned in the case of pressure on the bank with the Austrian parent structure
In Hungary detained the former head of the National Bank Gyord Matolci, reports Telex with reference to the lawyer of the former head of the Central Bank. He held office from 2013-2025 during the time when Viktor Orban was head of government.
“My client is suspected of committing economic fraud that caused significant property damage, as well as using a forged private document,” Matolci’s lawyer Pal Batki told Telex.
According to the publication, Matolchi was taken to the Central Investigation Department of the Prosecutor’s Office early in the morning on Wednesday, October 21. Together with him, several people were detained, including a lawyer and the head of a company that officially owns a villa on the Greek island of Mykonos, associated with the son of the former head of the Central Bank Adam Matolci.
Earlier this day, the Hungarian prosecutor’s office reported on the coordinated investigative actions in the investigation of the case of abuse of trust, which caused particularly large property damage. Prosecutors conducted procedural actions at several addresses in the case related to the National Bank.
In the party of former Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban “Fidesz” expressed hope for an impartial investigation. “We expect the authorities to conduct the procedure impartially, without political pressure,” said Bertalan Havashi, a spokesman for the opposition party.
In September 2026, the management of the National Bank of Hungary filed a statement about possible abuses in transactions with five properties owned by it. The statement mentioned suspicions of breach of trust, negligent management, fraud and abuse of office.
Later, the head of the Hungarian Central Bank Mihai Varga said that the bank handed over another 30,000 pages of documents to the parliamentary commission investigating violations in the work of the former leadership.
In March 2025, the State Court of Auditors of Hungary published a report on the activities of the Pallas Athéné Domus Meriti Fund (PADME), associated with the central bank. According to Telex, the agency identified serious deficiencies in the management of the fund’s assets and decisions that led to significant financial losses.
In the same month, the Accounts Chamber stated that during Matolci’s leadership, assets worth hundreds of billions of forints disappeared from the funds of the National Bank of Hungary. According to Telex, about 200 billion forints were lost as a result of real estate transactions.
